The Forgotten Man

January 24, 2005
Crais's latest L.A.-based crime novel featuring super-sleuth Elvis Cole blends high-powered action, a commanding cast and a touch of dark humor to excellent dramatic effect. One morning at four, Cole gets a call from the LAPD informing him that a murdered John Doe has claimed, with his dying breath, to be Cole's father, a man Cole has never met. Cole immediately gets to work gathering evidence on the dead man—Herbert Faustina, aka George Reinnike—while cramping the style of the assigned detective, Jeff Pardy. Though Cole finds Reinnike's motel room key at the crime scene, the puzzle pieces are tough to put together, even with the unfailing help of partner Joe Pike and feisty ex-Bomb Squad techie Carol Starkey, who's so smitten with Cole that she can't think of him without smiling. Days of smart sleuthing work take the self-proclaimed "World's Greatest Detective" from a Venice Beach escort service to the California desert, then a hospital in San Diego, where doubts about Reinnike's true heritage begin to dissipate. Meanwhile, a delusional psychopath named Frederick Conrad, who is convinced that his partner in crime was killed by Cole, stalks and schemes to even the score. There's lots to digest, but this character-driven series continues to be strong in plot, action and pacing, and Crais (The Last Detective
) boasts a distinctive knack for a sucker-punch element of surprise. Agent, Aaron Priest.

October 1, 2003
Crais stalwart Elvis Cole turns to pal Joe Pike for help when a dying man claims to be Cole's father.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2005
When an apparently homeless man is found shot in an alley, the first officer on the scene tells private investigator Elvis Cole that the dying man claimed to be Cole's father. Cole has never known the identity of his father. His mother was mentally unstable and would often go missing for extended periods. Cole was conceived during such a disappearance, and the only clue his mother gave him was the cryptic comment that his father was a "human cannonball" in a circus. Long obsessed with finding his father, Cole backtracks through the years to learn the dead man's true identity. As he searches, Cole is unaware that he is the target of an associate of the dead man. Crais' Cole mysteries are infinitely superior to his stand-alone thrillers. The snappy, Spenser-like dialogue and the bursts of violence notwithstanding, the series is most memorable for its intense, character-driven studies of people searching for context and purpose in their lives. Cole's career as a detective stems directly from his childhood attempts to find his father, and his sidekick, Joe Pike, measures himself through a self-defined process of readiness. Very few thrillers leave readers with teary vision, pondering such profundities as acceptance and forgiveness. This is one of the few. A deeply moving, heartfelt mystery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)

Starred review from February 15, 2005
In this unforgettable tale of intrigue and angst, Elvis Cole receives a middle-of-the-night phone call from Los Angeles Police Detective Kelly Diaz, saying that a man has been murdered and that his dying words were to find his son: Elvis Cole. Elvis never knew his father, so his response is immediate. Working with the LAPD, Elvis and partner Joe Pike ferret out the truth in their own inimitable style. In the process, Elvis learns more about himself and his family. Former bomb squad technician turned detective Carol Starkey ("Demolition Angel") helps out, too, mostly because she has a crush on Elvis, but he's too enmeshed in memories of Lucy Chenier ("The Last Detective") to notice. Quirky characters bring some dark humor to this finely written suspense yarn, with creepy killers, praying prostitutes, and enough surprises to keep the pages turning until the harrowing and extraordinary ending. Crais really knows how to build a series, giving more insight into his characters with each outing. Highly recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ "10/1/03.] -Stacy Alesi, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., Boca Raton, FL

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.